Starter-coupling



S. C. McKEOWN.

STARTER COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24. I912.

-1,360,963. Patented Nov. 30,1920.

f 7- ra/ /vz UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL C. McKEOWN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SPLITDORF ELEC- TRICAL COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

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Application fil ed March 24, 1917. semi No. 157,073.

T 0 all, whom, it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL C. MQKEOWN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Newark, in the county of Essex and tate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starter-Couplings, of which the followingiis a specification.

My invention relates to acoupling device tobe used particularly in connection with internal combustion engines which, when being started, have a relatively low rotative speed at the time when the engine is going over compression, which is in general the proper time for firing the gases in the engine cylinder and under this condition the spark producedby the magneto is rather weak and with the poor mixture usually obtained at this time starting is very 'diflicult. As soon as the-engine is started the magneto rendersideal ignition andrin order to overcome this objection, it has become the practice to accelerate'the rate of speed of themagneto armature regardless of the slow speed at which the engine is turned, thereby obtaining a spark substantially equal, and in most cases superior to the spark produced by the magneto when it and the engine is operated at high speed. In some types of couplings used for this purpose no provision is made whatever for positively locking the driving and driven members of the coupling.

at its normal operating speed, dependence being placed on the strength of the impulse spring for preventing any slip between the driving and'driven members of the coupling. I am aware of two types of couplings which have the driving and driven members unyieldingly coupled together when the coupling is stationary or not in use. Means are then provided for unlocking the driving and driven members of the couplingfor the purpose of starting the engine. In these types of couplings the driving and driven members are immediately locked'after receiving one impulse and then must be unlocked again for the next succeeding impulse.

It'is one of the objects of my invention to simplify the locking features and to leave the driving and driven members normally unlocked for the purpose of generating consecutive impulses untilja certainpre'determined speed is reached which, in some cases, may be' a little below the normal full load the type of coupling shown and described in J Fred B. Williams.

In the drawing, attached to and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 illustrates a portion of an end view of a magneto Patent No. 1.226.933, issued 'May 22, 1917, to

I having my improved type of coupling shown mounted on the end of the magneto shaft. F g.2 a view of the driven member of the coupling showing the buffer spring in place and the impulse spring in position of being assembled.

Fig. 3 is a view of the driving member as it is taken off the driven member.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the coupling shown in Fig. 1 with a small portion being shown in section.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4, partly in section. V f s Fig. 6 is an enlarged and sectional view of the locking feature shown in the small sectional portions of Figs. 4 and 5, but with the locking pin in its non-locking position.

Fig. 7 'is a view of the spring shown in the small sectional portion of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a modified form of a locking device.

Referring now particularlyto the draw I ings, 1 is the end plate of a magneto having a shaft 2 onwhich is 'mounted the starter couphng, consisting of a driving member .3 and a driven member 4. The driving member 3 isprovided with slots 5 in the hub 6 for the purpose of receiving any suit- ;able driving device, such as the end of an Oldham coupling. Within the driven member eis a spring? used for accelerating the rotative speed ofthe armature, all in a maiinerdescribed in the said'Williams patent heretofore referred to. 8 is a buffer springused to receive the shock of the so as 'to'produce; the necessary impulse a 1O v suitable support 11 which'ma ybe attached purpose: of assembling the spring 7 No'further description willbe 'made of driven member when it overtakes the driving member after havlng been given an 1mpulse by spring 7. 9 is a pin used for the these parts. as their functions are well understood: v if V In order to retard the driven member 4 pawl 10 is used which is carried on any the arrow a cam portion 1 1 engages the end- 12 of pawl 10 throwing the same out of engagement with the driven member 4 allowing the same to move rapidly forward under the impulse of the spring. 7 as previously referred to. The cam surfaces 14 have holes 15 which will befrefe'rred to later.

Mounted on the back of the'driven memher 4 are two weighted arms 16 and 17- being pivoted to member A by suitable pivotal l means, such as screws 18 and 19. As shown in Fig, 4 the weighted arms 16 and 17 are i at their extreme outward positions resting against the stops 20fand 21. When in their idle position these arms rest against the stops 22 andi 23 Adjacent the pivotal p'oints18 and 19 are fulcrum edges 24'and 1 *Which are also slightly beveled to coact with Mounted vwithin'the counterbored hole and 25 which are integral with the arms 17 and 16 respectively and between which extends a cross bar 26 loosely supported on the shaft 2. .The object, of this crossbar is to preserve a'balance between the two weighted V arms'lfian'd 17. The arms 16 and 17 are beveled at the point 27 adjacent the 'pins 28 the bevel at the point 27 on the arms-16 and 17f The flange 29 of the driven member '4:

is slotted at 30 and also has a counterbored hole 31 within which is seated a screw '32.

i surrounding the body of screw 32 is a specially formed resilient member 33 one end of which restsin the slot 30 and the other end passes througha hole 34 inithe pin 28.

The'spring 33 acts to maintain the pins 7 28' in the position shown in Fig. 6. I istartingth ei engine asthe speed ofthe driven 7 member increases the weighted arms 16 and '17 begin to moveoutward and toward the stopsl20'and 21 and at a certain predettermined speed, which is below that speed at which the impulse spring 7 may start to cause lagging action of the driven member due to its compression, theyreach these stops and at which time the pins 28 have been pushed inward, due to the engagenient of the beveled surfaces on the 1 members l6-and 17 and pins 28' so that the Having tl chz'1nges and alterations may be made in the various details of my invention without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, one of such changes being indicated inFlg. Sin which the pin 35 is constructed differently from the pin shown in Fig.6 and a spiral compression spring 36 is used 1n place of the spring '33shown in Fig. 7 I The arrangement of the lockingdevices-on both thedriving and driven. members may be also varied over a considerable range of equivalents. V i a ms described my invention what I claim is:

' V 1.1n a 'magneto attachment, a driving member, a driven 'membeiy automatic con- 7 pling members consisting of V pivotally mounted eentrlfugally operated arms carried by said driven member, a 'pinadapted to be acted. on by said arms forunyleldlngly connecting the two members but leaving said members normally uncoupled, means for arresting themovement of the driven member, means for releasing said driven member after a predetermined displacement of the driving member, and resilient means for causing the driven member toovertake the driving member when the same is released,

whereby the coupling means automatically locks the driven member to the drivingmemher at a speed somewhatbelow the operating speed of the said members. r

2; In a magneto attachment, a driving member, a' drivenmember, automatic coupling. members {consisting of pivotally mounted centrifugally operated arms 'mounted on the rear surface of said'd'riven member, a pin adapted to'be actedon by said arms for'unyieldingly connecting the two members butnormally in such-positlon as to leave said members uncoupled, means for arresting thejmovementof the driven member, means for releasing said driven .member after a predetermined displacement of the drlvlng member, and means for caus- Astarting coupling for-igniter mag netos comprising. co-axial relatively rotatable driving and driven members, a lock for positively holding said membersagainst relative rotation but normally spring-held in'disconnected position, an actuating spring interposed between said members, a trip arranged to successively-arrest said driven pins enter suitable receptacles 15in the cam .me ber other bvplace saidspring under so tension and means for automatically shifting said trip to thereby release said driven member, said lock being operated by a plurality of pivotally mounted members responsive to centrifugal force.

4:. A starting coupling for igniter magnetos comprising co-axial relatively rotary driving and driven members, a spring inter posed between said members in normal operative position, a shiftable trip arranged to successively arrest said driven member to thereby place said spring under tension and a cam lug on said driving member for shifting said trip to thereby release said driven member to permit said spring to move the driven member rapidly forward, a locking pin mounted in the driven member, a spring for holding the pin in unlocking position,

means in the driving member to receive said locking pin and means responsive to centrifugal force for causing said pins to move into operative relation with said engaging means on the driven member at a predetermined speed.

5. In a magneto attachment, a driving member, a driven member, means for arresting the movement of the driven member, means for releasing said driven member after a predetermined displacement of the driving member and controlled by said driv ing member, and a spring for causing the driven member to overtake the driving'member when the same is released, automatic coupling means mounted on said driven member for coupling said members together at a predetermined speed, said coupling means consisting of pivoted weighted arms responsive to centrifugal force, pins acted on by said arms and receptacles in the driving member for the reception of said pins when acted on by said arms.

6. In a magneto attachment, a driving member, a driven member, automatic coupling means for unyieldingly connecting the two members but leaving said members normally uncoupled, means for arresting the movement of the driven member, means for releasing said driven member after a prede termined displacement of the driving member and resilient means for causing the driven member to overtake the driving member when the same is released, said coupling means consisting of a pair of pivotally weighted arms with a balancing member therebetween and pins adapted to be acted on by said arms with receptacles in said driving member for said pins, and acted on at a predetermined speed of said members for locking the same positively together.

'7. In a starter coupling for igniter magnetos, the combination of driving and driven members with an actuating spring interposed between said members and means for imparting an accelerated rotary movement to said driven member, and means for looking said members positively together after said accelerated rotary movement has taken place, said locking means consisting of pivotally mounted centrifugally operated mem bers and sliding members acted on by said centrifugally operated members with receptacles in the driving member for said sliding members, and means for returning said pins and centrifugally operated members to their normal position when said igniter magneto is in stationary position.

In witness whereof I aflix m si nature. SAMUEL O. hlbK OWN. 

